BNP Paribas Masters
First round
Dominic Thiem vs. Alexandr Dolgopolov: Dolgopolov is finally showing signs of life, with an upset of Gilles Simon followed by a competitive three-setter vs. Jeremy Chardy in Valencia. But he’s still rusty and nowhere near as match-tough as Thiem right now. Thiem in 3.
Jerzy Janowicz vs. (Q) Sam Querrey: The Janowicz of 2012 ain’t walkin’ through that door. He got double-breadsticked by Denis Istomin in Basel, while Querrey is brimming with confidence following three Challenger titles and successful Paris qualification. Querrey in 2.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (WC) Edouard Roger-Vasselin: Kohlschreiber is sweeping the head-to-head series 3-0 following a straight-set win this spring in Barcelona. ERV has home-court advantage, but it won’t be enough to swing things in his favor. Kohlschreiber in 3.
Richard Gasquet vs. (Q) Denis Istomin: Gasquet is 4-1 lifetime versus Istomin, including 5-0 in total sets this season. More of the same should continue at home for the Frenchman…if he is 100 percent. Gasquet in 2.
Yen-Hsun Lu vs. Julien Benneteau: It would not be unfair to argue that Lu’s best would beat Benneteau’s best, but Lu is a virtual wild-card every time he takes the court whereas you almost always know what you will get from Benneteau. The Frenchman crushed Lu this summer in Eastbourne. Benneteau in 2.
Mikhail Youzhny vs. Santiago Giraldo: Youzhny is leading the head-to-head series 3-0 (one qualifying match included), but they have not faced each other since 2012. Giraldo is now on the relative rise, whereas Youzhny’s decline will continue with a rankings free-fall on Monday when his 2013 Valencia title points come off the board. Giraldo in 3.
(WC) Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs. (WC) Adrian Mannarino: This is an all-wild card showdown between two Frenchmen. Hugues-Herbert was an absolute disaster–especially with his serve–last week in Basel against Nadal. Mannarino in 2.
(Q) Donald Young vs. Fernando Verdasco: This all-lefty matchup has gone Verdasco’s way on both previous occasions. The Spaniard is 4-0 lifetime in total sets against Young, who is not playing poorly these days but also not showing much to suggest he will turn the tide vs. Verdasco. Verdasco in 2.
(PR) Jurgen Melzer vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez: It’s hard to know what to expect from either man on any given day. Melzer is generally a more consistent performer, but his season has been wrecked by injury. Garcia-Lopez in 3.
[polldaddy poll=8402361]
[polldaddy poll=8402363]
who you got?
Dolgopolov in 3, Janowicz in 3, Kohlschreiber in 2, Gasquet in 3, Benneteau in 2, Youzhny in 3, Mannarino in 2, Verdasco in 3, Garcia-Lopez in 3.
JANOWICZ???
Them has played a lot of tough matches recently. He may have run out of steam by now in which case Dolgo is in with a chance.
Dolgopolov in 3
If only Jerzy’s temperament matched his talents he could have been a force to be reckoned with. As it is his dream 2012 run appears to have been a flash in the pan.
Querrey in 3
Gasquet in 3
Benneteau in 2.
Youzhny in 3
Mannarino in 3
Verdasco in 3
Garcia-Lopez in 2
i will salute you guys if jano wins , LOL , it’s high time people understand he’s not the same as he was back in ’12, also, Querrey’s in stellar form (although on challenger level), his serve should be enough to not get broken, and he will break jano at least once a set.. 🙂
i will do a lot more than salute them!!!
Meltzer wallops GGL in 2, with a breadstick for good measure. Did not see that one coming…….